


Quidditch & Quiet Crushes

by 324b2fun



Series: Magic, Mischief, & More [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, Flirting on the Quidditch Pitch, Slytherin!Dorothea and Gryffindor!Ingrid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27867581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/324b2fun/pseuds/324b2fun
Summary: Edelgard clears her throat and stands up straight. She looks her calmly in the eye and says, “Dorothea, I need you to fill in as one of Slytherin’s chasers for our practice game... Ingrid is playing.”Knowing when she’s beat, Dorothea sighs and asks, “When is the game?”Or, the one where Dorothea plays quidditch just to flirt with Ingrid.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault & Edelgard von Hresvelg, Dorothea Arnault/Ingrid Brandl Galatea
Series: Magic, Mischief, & More [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081316
Comments: 3
Kudos: 62





	Quidditch & Quiet Crushes

**Author's Note:**

> Do you play quidditch? Because you look like a keeper. 
> 
> (you have no idea how close i was to making dorothea use this line on ingrid)

Dorothea knows she’s in trouble when Edelgard opens with, “Remember, you owe me.”

“Is that so?” Dorothea replies lightly, raising an eyebrow at the other girl. She ignores Hubert hovering just behind Edelgard. He doesn’t scare her anymore, much to his dismay. Dorothea closes the journal she’d been pretending to take notes in and smiles. “Is this you calling in your favor?”

“Yes,” Edelgard says. She leans forward with her hands on the table. It’s an intimidation tactic if Dorothea’s ever seen one, and Dorothea’s lips curl into a small smile at the thought that Edelgard probably doesn't even realize she’s doing it. A natural born leader and authority. “Slytherin has a practice match with Gryffindor this afternoon,” Edelgard tells her. Quidditch, of course. Edelgard became captain in her fourth year and has been ruthlessly whipping the team into shape ever since.

Dorothea refrains from asking what that has to do with her because she already has a horrible feeling about where this is going. Still, she smiles and tilts her head and offers a simple, “Good luck.”

Edelgard glares and purses her lips, like she knows that Dorothea is playing dumb. That’s a shame. She’ll have to work on that. It wouldn’t do for Edelgard to be able to read her. Edelgard clears her throat and stands up straight. She looks her calmly in the eye and says, “Dorothea, I need you to fill in as one of Slytherin’s chasers for our practice game.”

“Why me?” Dorothea asks with a soft sigh. She rests her chin on the palm of her hand and pouts. She’s played a few games with their friends, but those were always informal games during breaks. Dorothea has never had much of an interest in the game. “I’m not even that good,” Dorothea adds. She’s naturally athletic enough to not be terrible, but since she’s never bothered to play often, she’s still rather amateurish at the game. 

“You owe me,” Edelgard repeats. When Dorothea just stares at her, Edelgard grimaces and continues, “Our back-up is a squeamish third year. He threw up when we told him he’d be subbing in. I don’t trust him to play now, so you’re the only person I know who won’t completely drag the team down.”

“Wow, Edie, you sure know how to flatter a girl,” Dorothea says, batting her eyelashes. 

“Dorothea, please,” Edelgard sighs. 

Dorothea laughs and leans back in her seat. She crosses her arms over her chest and says, “Why not let the kid play? Like you said, it’s just a practice match.”

Hubert finally speaks up, sidling up to Edelgard to say, “Edelgard made a rather bold claim to Dmitri about, what was it that you said?” He turns to the girl with a ghost of a smile.

“I said I’d kick his ass,” Edelgard mumbles, cheeks flushing as she looks away. She shakes her head and turns back to Dorothea, a new glint in her eye. “Dorothea,” Edelgard says.

“Yes, Edie?”

“Ingrid is playing.”

Dorothea’s hands pause where they have been fiddling with the edges of her journal. She fights the urge to blush and offers Edelgard a smile instead, sharp and impressed. Dorothea wonders if Edelgard held back that little piece of information on purpose. Just to see how much it would take to get Dorothea to play. 

Knowing when she’s beat, Dorothea sighs and asks, “When is the game?”

-

Ingrid is stretching when Slytherin walks onto the field. She spares them a glance before doing a double take. She blinks once, twice. No, she isn’t imagining things. That is, in fact, Dorothea among the Slytherin players. 

Her feet move of their own accord, taking her over to the opposing team. She isn’t even aware that she’s walking until she’s standing in front of Dorothea, all but gaping. Ingrid has never seen Dorothea in practice clothes before, she realizes. Dorothea wears black leggings and a fitted white long-sleeve that compliment her curves. It’s simple clothing, not all that different from what Ingrid is wearing, but somehow, it looks like the highest fashion on Dorothea. 

“Dorothea?” Ingrid finally manages to say. That’s all she manages to say.

“My dear Ingrid,” Dorothea replies, beaming at her. Her fingers comb through her curls as she ties her hair back into a high ponytail, and Ingrid’s eyes follow the motion. “It’s lovely to see you.”

“You too,” Ingrid replies automatically, smiling at the fond tone Dorothea uses. Then, she frowns and asks, “What are you doing here?”

“Edie asked me to fill in,” Dorothea explains with a wave of her hand. She tugs on her ponytail to tighten it then smiles. “Her poor chaser is sick, so here I am.” She leans forward and winks, “But don’t worry. I don’t expect you to go easy on me.”

Ingrid feels her cheeks flush as she says, “I didn’t realize you played quidditch.”

“Oh, I don’t,” Dorothea says so matter-of-factly that Ingrid can’t help but raise an eyebrow. Dorothea just grins and whispers conspiratorially, “Unfortunately, I’m the best Edie could do on such short notice.”

Ingrid wants to laugh at the mischievous look on Dorothea’s face, but before she can think of anything to say, Dmitri is shouting, “Ingrid! We need you for some last minute strategy planning.”

“Go on,” Dorothea tells her, grabbing her arm to gently turn her in the direction of the Gryffindor team. “I’m sure he’s worried that I’m weaseling all of your plans out of you.”

“I’m not that easy,” Ingrid scoffs.

Dorothea smiles, “I’m well aware.”

There’s something about the way she says it that makes Ingrid pause, but before she can ask, Dmitri shouts for her again. Holding back an eye roll, Ingrid says, “Good luck.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll need all the luck I can get,” Dorothea says breezily. “Good luck to you too.” She offers Ingrid a wave before she walks off to where the Slytherins have grouped together. Edelgard looks exasperated as Dorothea joins them, but Dorothea just smiles.

Shaking her head, Ingrid jogs back over to her team. 

Just as Dorothea predicted, Dmitri really had been worried that Ingrid told Dorothea something she shouldn’t have. She tries not to be offended by that, especially when Dmitri really does look apologetic for thinking so. Sylvain just claps her on the shoulder and makes a crude remark about how Dorothea’s practice clothes look on her. Ingrid may or may not whack him in the face with her broomstick for that.

After that, Ingrid finds herself on the receiving end of what can only be called an interrogation about Dorothea. They ask her what position she plays, how good she is, has Ingrid ever seen her play. It’s a bit overwhelming, especially when all Ingrid has to say is that as far as she knows Dorothea doesn’t really play quidditch. The team seems disappointed by her lack of intel, but Ingrid just shrugs. It’s not like it would have helped all that much. They already have a plan to deal with Slytherin.

Edelgard and Felix are the real problem when it comes to playing Slytherin. Edelgard is one of the best seekers that the wizarding world has seen in decades. She’s light and lithe, quick on a broom with even quicker reflexes. That alone would not be quite so troublesome if not for the fact that she also has Felix on her team. Ingrid’s known Felix since they were young, so it’s to no surprise to her how good of a quidditch player he is. Felix has a certain tenacity when it comes to scoring. He’s aggressive and smart when playing. He doesn’t hold back. It lets Slytherin make score after score until Edelgard is able to catch the snitch. 

To combat this, Gryffindor has decided to focus their beaters on the two of them. Although there are other players, none are as skilled as those two or many of the players in Gryffindor. As long as they can stall, Edelgard and Felix, they have a good shot at winning.

When they take to the sky, Ingrid can’t help but feel a thrill. She’s always felt at home on a broom, zipping through the air. It grants her a taste of freedom that nothing else can compare to. It’s liberating and invigorating, and Ingrid has never been more thankful that she’s able to play quidditch. It’s just another way for her to fly.

Ingrid shakes her head as she pays attention to Claude, who graciously offered to referee the practice match. He’s stating the usual game rules when Ingrid’s eyes wander over to wear Dorothea hovers on her broom. It looks like one of the school brooms, which makes sense since she said she doesn’t play. On top of her long-sleeve, Dorothea has donned a borrowed Slytherin jersey, and Ingrid absently notes that it matches her eyes. 

A whistle cuts through the air, and Ingrid startles as the game begins. Taking off after Felix, who already somehow has the quaffle, Ingrid curses herself for getting distracted. It’s when they’re nearing the Gryffindor goals that their beaters strike. Ingrid barely has time to dodge the first bludger that whizzes past both Felix and her, shouting a warning to a sheepish Casper. 

It seems to have surprised Felix, judging by his (more than usual) annoyed look, but he doesn’t panic. When the second bludger heads straight for him, Felix merely drops the quaffle as he dodges. It’s clear no one expected this because Ingrid can see the way Ferdinand’s jaw drops at the sight. Ingrid thinks it might be a ploy so they have to scramble after the quaffle, but when Ingrid follows its movement, she sees the quaffle land neatly into Dorothea’s arms. Ingrid barely has time to process what just happened before Dorothea is at the goals, throwing the quaffle through one of the hoops before Dmitri can stop her.

Ingrid stares blankly as Dorothea swoops back around, wearing a positively wicked grin. She can’t believe this. Dorothea can play quidditch. 

-

Slytherin ends up winning, which is a relief to Dorothea because she’s sure she wouldn’t hear the end of it if they lost. Hubert definitely would have blamed Edelhard being sad on her. He may not scare her anymore, but that doesn’t mean Dorothea wants him glowering at her every time she walks into a room.

“You were great out there!” Edelgard tells her. Her cheeks are rosy from exertion, and Dorothea can see the way her eyes are still alight from the adrenaline from catching the snitch. She’s positively stunning like this, and Dorothea feels sorry for whatever poor soul Edelgard finally decides to date. They won’t stand a chance. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to join the team?” Edelgard asks, half-joking but half-serious.

“Weren’t try-outs last month?” Dorothea points out, biting back a pleased smile. Quidditch may not be a passion, but it certainly does feel nice to excel at something. “Isn’t that the only time new players can join?”

“I’m sure I could convince our professor to make an exception,” is Edelgard’s quick and easy reply. It makes Dorothea pause and study her more closely. She’s been thinking about this. A part of Dorothea suddenly wonders if Edelgard’s usual chaser is sick at all. Her eyes flick over to Hubert. Or rather, Dorothea wonders if the usual chaser’s sickness is natural.

While the game was fun, quidditch still isn’t Dorothea’s thing. It’s too much sweating. Also, she certainly doesn’t want to wake up before dawn or stay out well into the night for practice. Dorothea’s eyes can’t help but glance over to where Ingrid debriefs with her team. She bites her lip and shakes her head. No, not even playing against Ingrid is worth it. She’ll just watch from the stands, as she always has.

“I’m really only ever good for a game every so often,” Dorothea tells Edelgard with a shrug. “If you need me to fill again for a practice, perhaps I can join, but I sincerely doubt you want me on the team.”

Edelgard looks like she wants to argue, but there must be something in Dorothea’s tone that makes her hold back. Her jaw clenches before she lets out a sigh. Edelgard offers her a crooked smile and says, “I’ll make you join the team sooner or later.”

“Not before the season is over, I’m sure,” Dorothea replies with a similar smile.

“We’ll see about that,” Edelgard says, lifting her chin in a way Dorothea has come to associate with when Edelgard is especially stubborn. That’ll be fun. Edelgard’s eyes gaze past her for a moment before she says, “Anyways, thank you for filling in. I’ll see you at dinner.” Edelgard walks away, and to everyone else it must look perfectly casual, but Dorothea knows her friend well enough that she’s practically running away.

Dorothea laughs under her breath before she turns around, already expecting Ingrid to be there. The other girl offers her a shy smile as she slows to a stop in front of her. Her braid is messy from being up in the air, and Dorothea wonders how ridiculous she must look right now in comparison. Most likely nowhere near as good as Ingrid does, all flushed cheeks and loose strands framing her face.

“You said you don’t play quidditch,” is the first thing Ingrid says, her accusatory tone impossible to miss. She doesn’t actually sound mad though. Rather, she sounds shocked, and perhaps Dorothea is projecting, but also a little awed. 

“I don’t,” Dorothea replies, trying not to smile. 

Ingrid barks out an incredulous laugh. She shakes her head and says, “That game we just played says otherwise. You were great out there! Almost gave Felix a run for his money.”

“That’s sweet of you to say,” Dorothea laughs, “but we both know I am nowhere near that good. I was merely… acceptable.”

“If you’re just acceptable, then I’d hate to see how you would describe the rest of the team besides Edelgard and Felix,” Ingrid says bluntly. Her honesty is always so refreshing to Dorothea, but in this case, it only serves to make her cheeks pinken. Ingrid grins and reaches out to squeeze Dorothea’s shoulder. “It was an honor to be able to play with you.”

Dorothea tries not to focus on how warm and heavy Ingrid’s hand is on her shoulder as she murmurs, “Aren’t you a charmer.”

“Yes, well,” Ingrid stammers, quickly retracting her hand. Her cheeks turn an endearing shade of red as her eyes dart away from hers. “I was merely stating a fact. You could be an exceptional player, if you practiced more.”

“Are you offering private lessons?” Dorothea asks. She takes a step closer and internally smiles at the way Ingrid’s hands tighten around her broomstick. “Why, Ingrid, that’s so generous of you.”

Ingrid rolls her eyes, even as her cheeks flush an even darker red. “If you ever decide to be serious about quidditch, perhaps I could be persuaded to help you.”

“Lucky me,” Dorothea hums. She flashes Ingrid a quickfire smile and says, “I just might take you up on that one day.”

Ingrid opens her mouth, but when nothing comes out, she clamps it shut and nods. It takes all of Dorothea’s willpower not to giggle. She thinks about inviting Ingrid for some tea after dinner, but then Sylvain is there, draping an arm around Ingrid and hitting on Dorothea, and the moment is gone. Ingrid snaps at Sylvain, and Dorothea laughs because she's somewhat relieved that she can stay quiet about her not so secret crush on Ingrid for a little longer.

Yet as she watches Ingrid shove Sylvain into the dirt, lips curled into the barest of smiles with her messy blonde hair falling into her eyes, Dorothea knows she won’t be able to hold back for forever.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering doing a collection of oneshots all set in the same hpau with dorogrid, edeleth, sylvix, and hildanne?


End file.
